Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Effects Of Environmental Stress On Arabidopsis Thaliana Establishment And Development, Paige Petty

Student Research, Papers, and Creative Works

Arabidopsis thaliana is a model organism for plant research because it grows quickly, is easy to maintain, and findings from Arabidopsis can be easily extrapolated to crop species such as tomato, soybean, corn, and sorghum. Of particular interest is the process of photomorphogenesis, which promotes seedling establishment in soil. A rise in temperature causes stress for the seedling, which can inhibit photomorphogenesis and cause elongated hypocotyls that grow regardless of light intensity. Drought can also affect the rate of photosynthesis and limit seedling growth. In this project, we explored how the adult Arabidopsis plant is affected by delayed seedling establishment …